Suspension member for six-wheel vehicles.



- No. 888,343; y PATENTED DEG. 115 1906.

G. H. LINDEOKBR.

SUSPENSION MEMBER FOR SIX WHEEL VEHICLES.

' APPLICATION I ILIID 0013.18.1905.

enemies HENRI LINDEOKER, or Balances, FRANCE.

SUSPENSION MEMBER EOR SIX-'WHEEL VEHICLES.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

Application filed October 18, 1905- Serial No. 283,390.

T 0 all whom it may concern.-

-Be it known that 1, CHARLES HENRI Lrxnncxnu, captain, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at Briancon, Villa Yvette, Hautes-Alpcs department, in'the Republic of France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Suspension Members for Six-Wheel Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a system of suspension for six-wheel vehicles; and it has for its'object to so construct a system of this character that all the wheels will be always on the ground, however uneven the surface of the road may be, and that the load will always be portioned out among the axles in the same manner.

Two embodiments of this invention are shown diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, in which .igure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of a vehicle. Figs. 2 and 3 are corresponding views, the middle wheels being shown as passing over a depression in Fig. 2 and over a protuberance m Fig. 3.

Fig. 4 shows in elevation a modified form of the device represented in the previous figures, but which is based on the same rinciple.

In tlr' said device t is frame 2 is carried by the middle axle 1 and the springs 3 of the front and rear axles by means of the balancelevers 4. The said levers are connected to the middle axle by one of their ends to the springs 3 of the front and rear axles by their other end and to the frame by their axis or central pivot. The frame is carried directly by the outer end of the springs 3 of the front and rear axles. Springs 5 (see Figs. 1 to 3)'are interposed between tlfelevers 4 and the frame to operate in the same manner as the flat springs now in use, and which are mounted on the middle axle.

The levers 4 may be pivoted to the middleaxle, in which case the frame may bear upon the said levers through the medium of the lmks 6. The said levers may as an alternative be connected to the middle axle by a system of suitable slideways, or they may be suspended to the same by means of shackles. In the two latter cases their axis or pivot be secured directly to the springs 5 wit iout the intervention of links.

The springs 5 may be flat springs secured to the. frame by their middle, as shown by way of example in Figs. l to 3. A single spring is thus sufiicient forthe two levers 4 at the same side of the vehicle, or each leyer may have its own spring, and the said sprm ma be spiral in the form of superpose she ls or of any other suitable shape. .The said springs maybe interposed elther between the levers and the frame or between the levers and the middle axle.

The middle axle of the vehicle is uidecl either by a slideway suitably brace rovided in a guide-plate or by a pushing- 111k pivoted to the frame at a suitable point, Fig. 4, or by any other suitable means. hen the springs of the front and rear axles sup-' port the frame by means of shackles, it may also be useful to guide the said front and rear axles in the same manner as the middle axle. This guiding of the axles is for the purpose, first, of transmitting directl the movement of translation between the ame and the axles without the shackles havin to act in this respect, the said shackles t en only serving to allow of the relative movements between the different parts of the suspension taking place, and, secondly, of ,80

keepingthc axles in the roper relative position which may be ren ered necessar .by the transmission of the propulsion an the steering motion.

In the modified form shown in 4 "the balance-lcvers 4 operate both as balancelevers and as springs in place of those, 5, in the previous embodiment. All that need be. done is to form the said levers 40f flat 5 rings which support the frame by their midd e.

In the accompanying drawings there are shown, by way of exam 1e, different modesof connecting together t e parts of the sus-v pension.

. by means of pusher-links 9.

The system of suspension shown and deno scribed fulfils the re uired purposei 'lhe'inclination of the ba ance-levers' enables the,

Figs. 1,2, and 3,which show a device 5 having rigid leyers, the levers 4 are pivoted e frame by their middle, 1 o 5 .40 Whic middle axle to take a different level from -.that of the front and rear axles, and this difference of level may take place at each side of the vehicle. When a middle Wheel moves up with respect to the frame, the corresponding front and rear wheels move down, and vice 'versa. If the lever-arms are equal, the stroke of the middle axle is double that of the front and rear axles, and is made in a reverse direction, so that the change of level is the sum of these two movements.

0n account-of the symmetry of the movements with respect to the median plane the distances which separate 'the frame from I5 each of the bearing-points oi the front and rear wheels on the ground Increase or decrease simultaneously to the same extent. The result is that it is the dilll-rence of level of the said bearing-points which. determines the inclination of the frame without the level of the middle wheels having to intervvene. The variations of the said nclination due to the accidental changes of level of the road are therefore only one-half of those to 2 which the frame of .a four-wheel vehicle would be subjected if the distance between the front and rem wheels of the said fourwheel vehicle was e ual to the distance between the middle a e and the end'axles of 0 the six-Wheel vehicle. The load'will always remain portioned out in the same manner between the three axles, Whatever may be the relative levels of the middle and end wheels, as this ortioning out only depends 3% on the length o? the arms of the balance-la rivers and the said length remains fiery much the same. Abnormal, sudden, and accidental strains are thus avoided for'the frame, the s rings, the axles, and the wheels,.strains would require a much stronger construction for these members.

ing Wheels is permanent Whatever may be the place occupied by the vehicle. Furon the other hand, the'adherence of the driving and steerthermore, the portioning out of the load and 5 consequently the said adherence may be varied by giving suitable relative lengths to the arms of the balance-levers.

it. six-Wheel car or vehicle comprising an underframe or chassis, three axles, rock rods or links the swinging or" which are coni'iected to the chassis, fiat )rings resting on the end axles, the outer ends oi the said s ri s being connected to the chassis and 5 5 t eir inner ends being connected to the outer ends of the rock-rods, the inner ends of the connected to the chassis, fiat springs resting 6 on the end axles, the outer ends of the said sfirings being connected to the chassis and t eir inner ends being connected to the outer ends of the rock-rods, the rock-rods having their inner ends connected direct to the middie axle. I

3. A'SiX- WhBGl car or vehicle comprising an underfraine or chassis, three axles, rock rods or links the swinging axes of which are connected to the chassis, flat springs resting on the end axles, the outer ends of the said springs being connected to the chassis and" their inner ends being connected to the outer ends of the rock-rods, the inner ends of the rock-rods being connected directly to the middle axle.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing Witnesses,

I CHARLES HENRI LINDECKER.

Witnesses: I

(3n. WUEST, J. LEVY. 

